Election Commissioner Md Alamgir today (November 9, 2022) said that if the proposal to buy another two lakh Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is not approved by January 15, the commission will not be able to use the machines in the way they planned.
If the proposal is not approved and they fail to buy new EVMs, then EC will use the EVMs at their disposal in the next parliamentary elections, he said while talking with reporters at his office in Agargaon.
The Election Commission in late August decided that they would use EVMs in maximum of 150 parliamentary constituencies in the next general elections likely to be held in late December, 2023 or in early January, 2024.
Last month, the EC sent a development project proposal to the Planning Commission on procurement of two lakh new EVMs and maintenance of the machines. The project is worth Tk 8,711.44 crore, and titled “increasing the use of EVMs in elections and its sustainable management”.
The EC currently has 1.5 lakh EVMs that can be used in 70-80 constituencies at one go in the next elections.
EC Alamgir said the commission still does not know what will be the observation of the Planning Commission on the project proposal.
He added that the approval of the project depends on economic capability.
Upon approval of the project, the work order has to be given, the LC will need to be opened, quality checking will be required, before preparing the EVMs for use in elections and sending them to the field, EC Alamgir said.
“If the project is not approved between the end of December and January 15, it will not be possible to use the new EVMs in the national elections,” he also said.
Responding to a query, EC Alamgir said there is an economic crisis all over the world. Bangladesh is not out of it either.
“Most of the cost of EVMs will have to be paid in foreign currency. There may be a problem with foreign currency reserve. EC will decide what should be done after seeing how much the Planning Commission can do,” he added.
